A snapshot of design in 1995

The mid 90s really marked the beginning of the consumer internet as home computing began to peak. This generated an explosion of digital companies and products as well impacting existing companies branding as there was a necessary electronic consideration. As

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The mid 90s really marked the beginning of the consumer internet as home computing began to peak. This generated an explosion of digital companies and products as well impacting existing companies branding as there was a necessary electronic consideration.

As this digital revolution began the RGB colour palette that came along with it allowed brands to experiment with bright colours and modern effects that were considered a less viable option previously due their difficulty to replicate and keep consistent.

The 1995 logos were predominantly fun in their style as all brands dipped their toes into the digital ocean, developing an instantly recognisable style. Drop shadows and gradients were heavy in use, misaligned or tilted text was common and the primary colours were a go to colour palette.

Logos

Sports Logos

Being a heavy NBA fan, 1995 was particularly interesting to me with the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies joining the league. It was also the year Michael Jordan reunited with the Bulls on the way to a second threepeat.

Despite how iconic the Bulls were for being great that year, overall, sports logos were probably best known for their cartoonish style. The Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies all adopted mascots in their logos with some questionable wordmark decisions.

On a lesser scale, the MLB World Series and All Star Game logos used a more balanced approach of the cartoon style with more appropriate type choices. The Super Bowl XXIX logo was designed with a slightly more minimalist approach with a reference to a Miami’s art deco style, which coincidentally was another trend of 90s logos.

Concert Posters

The mid 90s was the height of grunge and this was reflected in the design of posters. Even for bands that weren’t part of the genre, there was a collage style, disconnected, scratchiness to the elements as well as a focused abandonment of traditional layout rules and design principles. There was also a transition from a fluoro period in the early 90s that was still having an impact.

Advertisements

1995 advertisements, like any other period, had different styles depending on its intended demographic. However, there were a few consistent trends that carried across design as a whole at the time. Things like lowercase text for headings, serif fonts were popular, movement in headings instead of a swiss grid style, there was an art deco influence in a lot of designs and wide leading was common.

Luxury brands incorporated these elements into a more minimal abstract approach, whilst the lower end brands carried them out with a more tight fitting, explosion of images.

Packaging

Packaging of the mid 90’s personally hit me the hardest as I was an impressionable teen. Oversized text, lowercase sans serif type for headings and drop shadows. Microsoft and Nike were both enjoying an explosion of success in 1995 and informed a lot of other brands to imitate their styles.